Disease directory
Sweet’s syndrome
Published: September 18, 2026Updated: September 18, 2026
Important: Informational content intended for healthcare professionals. It does not replace clinical evaluation or establish a doctor-patient relationship.
Overview
- Synonyms: Acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis (AFN).
- Definition: An inflammatory dermatosis characterized by the abrupt onset of painful, erythematous-violaceous papules/nodules/plaques , frequently accompanied by fever and elevated inflammatory markers , with neutrophilic dermal infiltrate (typically without primary vasculitis). Sweet 1964 , Cohen 2007
- First description: Robert Douglas Sweet, 1964 (Br J Dermatol). Sweet 1964
- Epidemiology (practical pearls):
- More frequent in middle-aged women in the “classic/idiopathic” form. von den Driesch 1994 , Cohen 2007
- It can be associated with neoplasms (especially hematological ones such as AML/MDS) and in a subgroup it precedes or coincides with the oncological diagnosis. Cohen 1988 , Bourke 1997
- Pregnancy: a recognized association; modern reviews summarize presentation and approach in gestation. von den Driesch 1994 , Glennon 2024
- Codes (indicative):
- ICD-10: usually coded as L98.2 (other skin and subcutaneous tissue conditions).
- ICD-11: may vary by local mapping (search “Sweet syndrome / acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis” in the institutional ICD-11 browser).
- Diagnostic checklist (quick)
- Clinical presentation: abrupt onset of painful lesions + fever/malaise. Cohen 2007
- Labs: Complete blood count with differential + CRP/ESR. Fett 1995
- Confirmation: punch biopsy. Guhl 2008
- Criteria: Apply the set of criteria (Su/Liu and modern revisions when «classic» elements are missing). Su 1986 , Nofal 2017
- Targeted screening: recent drugs (G-CSF/ATRA/others) and search for malignancy if red flags are present. Thompson 2007 , Cohen 1988
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